Audio: House redistricting chief talks election maps

Rep. Drew Darby, the House redistricting chief, took questions today from several reporters after the lower chamber’s Select Committee on Redistricting wrapped up its first hearing of the special session.

Here are a couple of highlights (full audio of Darby’s comments also are available below — The Statesman’s Tim Eaton and Scripps Texas Newspapers reporter Matthew Waller are the other two journos asking questions)

Field Hearings:

Darby is currently considering whether to hold a limited set of field hearings over Texas’ election maps in some of the state’s larger metropolitan areas (which was part of the process in 2011 when the Lege last drew up maps). Over the last two days, representatives from labor and minority groups and several citizens who testified at hearings said the process looks rigged when Gov. Rick Perry calls a special session on a federal holiday — Memorial Day — and then committees start holding hearings exclusively in Austin just days later. Darby’s concern with field hearings boils down to time — the Legislature only has 30 days to get maps approved before the special session ends. Already, House and Senate map leaders have forecast a lengthier-than-expected committee process.

Federal Court influence on the Lege:

A San Antonio federal court on Wednesday held its first hearing on a case challenging the state’s 2011 maps — and at that hearing some of the judges chimed in on Perry’s narrow call for the special session, wondering if it left the Legislature any wiggle room to consider alternative maps or even make tweaks to temporary maps.

The next day, the Senate announced several new public hearings and concluded it didn’t have to follow the strict edict Perry handed down by taking up amendments to the interim maps. And today, Darby also announced a new House hearing date and reiterated several times that he’s open to considering amendments to the interim maps that Perry specifically called lawmakers back to ratify.

Did the S.A. court’s discussion have anything to do with that? You bet.

“We were listening, and we’re paying attention,” Darby responded when asked about the three-judge panel in San Antonio

The Perry Factor:

Darby said he has not talked with Perry or his office about the narrow call. Asked if he was frustrated with the limited agenda Perry passed on to lawmakers, Darby replied that the governor simply got the process rolling by making a call and now it’s up to lawmakers to hash out the details.

“Ultimately, if the governor doesn’t like it, the governor can be the governor and veto it,” Darby said of whatever redistricting bill the House passes. “But, certainly, the Legislature has to be the Legislature. We can’t simply defer to the executive branch on all of these decisions and certainly should not abrogate our responsibilities to the courts